LOCAL RESIDENTS CONQUER TOUGHEST 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN

Simi Valley residents Dave Liston and Randy Shoemaker trained for 9 months, set goals and toed the line at the 26th Annual Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run on (AC100) Saturday August 3rd, 2013 in Wrightwood California.

172 men and women signed up for this majestic (and some would say crazy) foot race and 74 finished, 15 of them in UNDER 24 hours!

Racers began in Wrightwood California and ended in Alta Dena California.

If you are on the east coast, 100 miles would be the distance from New York, New York to East Hampton New York. Here in SoCal it's Malibu to Solvang, Irvine to Tijuana or Simi Valley to Bakersfield!

They run non-stop with a minimum goal to cross the finish line before 33 hours elapses. Missing the cut off during the race means you are OUT. You'll have to try again. And no, you don't get your money back.

The first 50 miles are solo. The race allows a pacer for the final 50, which began at dusk for both Randy and Dave.

Through the darkness they ran with their Pacer charged with keeping them on-target time-wise, awake and moving. A Pacer is normally someone that is also a long distance endurance runner familiar with the terrain and good at motivation. A bonus would be a Pacer that had run the same race you are running.

Dave Liston's Pacers were Doug Spencer and Sid Shabata. Doug has run the AC100 race six times and was the guiding light and mentor for both Randy and Dave throughout their training.

Randy Shoemaker's Pacers were Simi Valley residents Debbie Botten and Brett Goldsmith both of whom have run countless miles day AND NIGHT to get the training in needed for this race.

Racers are allowed to have a "Crew" that tends to their fueling, first-aid and overall management of "good choices".

Dave was crewed by his wife Angie and daughter Lauren. Randy was crewed by his wife Sarita and long time friend Ann Archinal who flew in from Denver Colorado.

Racers left Wrightwood at 05:00 with at total of 14 aid stations along the way. Crew did not have access to each of these stations so "drop bags" were prepared in advance.

This race was closely supervised by Race Officials Ken Hamada and Hal Winton along with countless numbers of Volunteers and Ham Radio Professionals.

As runners entered an Aid Station their time was recorded. This was sent in real-time to a website that let friends and family watch the race unfold. It also recorded when runners left the aid station, a critical part of FINISHING the race.

Randy and Dave gave their top two pieces of advice:

From Dave...

" #1 Prepare, prepare, prepare.

#2 Do the physical part of running every chance you get.

Do as much on the actual race course as you can. Get a GREAT training partner. When you have a bad training run (or race), don't let it discourage you. Prepare mentally. Envision yourself running the course - all parts of it. Break the race into small mini-races from aid station to aid station. Have plan on how you will run each section of the race, but be prepared to change your plans when something goes awry. Have a great crew. You don't want to think when you go into an aid station. You want people to care for you. Have great pacers - people you know that will push you and feel comfortable doing so. Failure is not an option. If you don't think you can do it, then don't waste your time or the time of others that are helping you. "

Dave, works at Caruso Affiliated in Los Angeles and drives to work before dawn to do his training every day with Sid and Doug. They're known as The Fairfax Flyers. A usual day begins with a 10 mile Urban Run.

From Randy...

"#1 Take the advice of the men and women that have run distances like this. "Do your homework or pay dearly" is what the Race Director for the AC100 told me. Ask a lot of questions from many different credible resources and make your plan from those resources. Think it out over and over. Preparation starts MONTHS before a race if you want to enjoy the event, let alone FINISH it.

#2 Train and then train more. Get yourself onto hills, cross-train with weights, speed train and if your event is on a trail or road do your running on the actual course as much as you can to become familiar with the terrain."

Randy owns 805 Boot Camp in Simi Valley that has exercise camps at the start and end of a work day. That forced him to run during the heat of the day and was a blessing in disguise. He is a firm believer in cross training with kettle bells, weights and more.

Both put in close to 100 miles of running weekly both road and trail. If you did not guess it already: both LOVE running and they are also genuine in giving heartfelt advice for those considering running at any length.

What will they do next?

Randy has a 1000 Mile belt buckle in his future, The Tahoe Triple Series and the Trans Rockies Challenge.

Dave is keeping his plan wide open. He has a Wish List created that include The Ventura Pier to Pier Marathon, Kodiac Bear 50 Miler, Portland's ME Marathon, Catalina Eco Marathon and the California International Marathon. "I just hope that I keep enjoying the long training runs with my friends and competing at various races."

This story is contributed by a member of the community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with Ventura County Star.